EFFECT OF AERATED TRANSIENTS ON OXIDATION AND SCC OF STAINLESS STEELS IN PWR PRIMARY WATER

摘要

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and oxidation tests were performed on a 316L stainless steel in PWR environments with hydrogenated, fully-aerated and aerated transients chemistries (hydrogenated and aerated chemistries are alternatively applied). The results show that the presence of dissolved oxygen in primary water has an impact on the morphology and composition of the oxide films formed at 340 °C. The cracking networks resulting from the SCC tests were quantitatively characterized thanks to surface and cross-section SEM observations. A lower crack density and smaller cracks were observed in aerated conditions while the cracking network is similar in aerated transient conditions to that obtained in nominal primary water.